


Wraith Attack

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Community: fanfic100, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-29
Updated: 2008-08-29
Packaged: 2017-10-21 20:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Wraith attack during a peaceful mission, Rodney and John are separated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wraith Attack

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ's Stargatefest Fest01: prompt SGA, John/Rodney, Darts  
> Also for Fanfic100 prompt #28. Children

The whine of the darts overhead sent Rodney cowering beneath the overhang just outside of the cave, hopefully beyond the reach of the culling beam. Before him was a forest like so many on dozens of worlds but he could see the wisps of Wraith illusions floating between the trees to scare out those who had gone into hiding. Somewhere in the mist would be the faceless Wraith soldiers armed with stunners, seeking out more prey on foot.

John and Jack O'Neill were also out there along with the two teams of scientists and soldiers that had come to this world on a routine mission just to show General O'Neill how things were done in the Pegasus galaxy. Not that Rodney believed it was that much different to the way things worked in the Milky Way but then, Rodney had not taken the sudden appearance of a Wraith hive ship into consideration.

He flinched as a hand grabbed at his arm, muscles in his neck twanging painfully as he turned his head in fear only to find Daniel's worried face looking back at him.

"Did you have to manhandle me?" he gritted out between clenched teeth as quietly as possible, wanting to shake off Daniel's grip but the fingers tightened, giving Rodney no choice but to follow Daniel back into the deeper cover of a hidden cave.

Daniel spun him around and pushed him against the rough wall, stones digging into his back. "I want to be out there too. I want to find Jack as much as you want to find Colonel Sheppard...but if we're seen? If we lead those creatures in here then all of these people will die."

Rodney looked over Daniel's shoulder at the frightened group of women and children who had fled here at the first sign of attack, leaving behind the men of the village who had sworn to defend their wives, sisters, mothers and children at all cost. They all looked to him now in their time of need, arms wrapped around a loved one, trying to comfort each other and the quietly sobbing children as the whine of darts and their culling beams penetrated the cave.

Rodney pulled out his life signs detector once more and froze as he saw at least fifteen Wraith converging on this spot, perhaps only ten minutes away. "Looks like they found us anyway." He showed the screen to Daniel, who swore under his breath before moving towards one of the women.

"Is there another way out of here?"

"No," she sobbed. "We should not have come here for they found all of the women and children during the time of the last great culling....but we didn't know where else to run. We hoped they would just take a few as they have done for the past few generations."

Rodney stepped over, body thrumming with a sense of urgency that he saw conveyed to the women by the increased agitation. "They do go deeper though?"

"Only a little deeper, through several chambers."

Rodney looked to Daniel, who nodded his agreement and smiled reassuringly as he asked, "Do you know the way?"

She shook her head. "No one goes deeper than this into the caves."

"We have no choice," Rodney stated. "If we stay here then we're all dead."

Feeling sickened at the thought of abandoning his lover to whatever fate would befall him, Rodney started instructing the women to pick up sturdy sticks that could be used as torches. He didn't want to place his trust in the batteries in his flashlight indefinitely, and he certainly didn't want to find himself plunged into darkness without any means of shedding light when they needed it.

The woman looked dismayed at first, and Rodney could understand why because he suspected the Wraith had simply followed last time and would do so again this time. In her eyes, going deeper would not save them. However, this time the women were not alone with only pointy sticks to defend themselves and their children against the Wraith. This time they had two men armed with P90s and enough brains between them to set up a few surprises for the Wraith. Plus, this time, they had the Daedalus only hours away. All he and Daniel had to do was hold off the Wraith for a few hours and then let Caldwell do the rest.

As they walked along the six-foot wide passage formed between the entrance and the first of the chambers, Rodney checked various points to see if there was any safe place to bring down the roof and seal the passageway behind them but the rock walls and ceiling looked too stable. He hoped there would be a better place further up and, for the first time in years, Rodney wished Lieutenant Ford was still with them--or even Cadman. Both had the knowledge of where to place explosives for the greatest impact, having spent their careers playing with C4 and detonators. Rodney would have to draw on his knowledge of engineering even though it was more on the mechanical rather than on the natural side. Then it occurred to him that Daniel had to know something about excavating caves and old buildings. Perhaps between them they could work something out.

"We need to seal the cave behind us."

"Yeah," Daniel murmured. "Already figured that out but I haven't seen anywhere that wouldn't bring the ceiling down on top of us too."

Rodney checked the life signs detector and swallowed hard for the fifteen Wraith had been joined by twenty more, all of them hungry after being awoken from their hibernation too soon. "They're behind us and closing in fast." He indicated towards the mass of red dots that had fanned out and then seemed to be converging on a single place, falling into a line that moved towards them far more swiftly than the speed at which Rodney's group were traveling, perhaps only six minutes behind them now.

Whimpers of fear reverberated back from the head of the line of women and children and Rodney bit back a retort, wanting to demand why they had stopped but Daniel spoke first. "Pass this on...You have to keep moving," Daniel ordered.

Moments later, they were moving again, and Rodney understood the cries of fear as soon as his feet crunch over the first of the human remains. He swallowed hard as he recognized the skeletal remains of children among the bones scattered around the chamber; the Wraith had spared no one, feeding on those they found and leaving their desiccated husks behind. This chamber had become a tomb, and if they didn't find a way to seal the passage behind them then they would meet the same fate at the hands of the Wraith.

"Daniel?"

Daniel was surveying the area where the passage opened up into this first chamber. A stunner blast ricocheted off the passage wall and Rodney wasted no more time. They had to make their stand here or not at all. He pulled out two small packs of C4, something he always carried in remembrance of Ford, and handed them both to Daniel, trusting in Daniel to know where to place them while Rodney took up a stance in the passage and sent a small burst of gunfire at the first Wraith to show itself, watching it fall dispassionately.

"TAKE COVER!" Daniel yelled.

Heeding the warning, Rodney jumped back, the force of a stunner blast to his shoulder knocking him onto his back a few more vital feet inside the chamber; he felt a sudden weight drop over him, shielding his face from the blast as rock fragments turned into possibly lethal missiles and a rumble echoed through the chamber, but Rodney had the good fortune to fall behind a stalagmite that had protected both him and Daniel from the worse of the blast.

Rodney coughed as the dust cloud settled around him, feet scrabbling as many hands pulled him further into the chamber. He sat with his shoulder numbed and harsh coughs racking his body, hearing another man coughing beside him. Both of them were covered in a fine layer of cave dust with only a track of blood marring the smoothness across Daniel's cheek. His canteen was thrust into his hands and Rodney took a greedy gulp before remembering that this was all the water he had on him. He pulled the life signs detector back out of his vest pocket and grinned. The explosion had collapsed the passage way for more than twenty feet, burying at least ten of the Wraith beneath tons of rock.

Unfortunately, it had also trapped them in this chamber with no way out except for the slim hope of being recovered by the _Daedalus_.

"Put out the torches," Rodney ordered, aware that they might no longer have any fresh air getting into this part of the cave. He switched on his flashlight as the torches were smothered, the eerie glow of the single light drawing in the women and children until they were all huddled around him. Something was thrust into his hand.

"It is only a little pania. Eat."

Rodney could not see the woman's face clearly but thanked her softly before biting into the small piece of dry bread. Beside him Daniel asked the question that was bothering Rodney.

"Don't take this the wrong way but I was expecting everyone to start panicking."

The woman gave a self-mocking laugh. "Better to die here in peace than as food for the Wraith."

Rodney lowered his eyes, remembering the puddlejumper accident and the slow death that had been awaiting him as the oxygen slowly ran out and the water rose. Towards the end he had stopped struggling, almost making peace with himself and his impending death. John had come for him that time when they were little more than friends and colleagues, and Rodney refused to believe that John wouldn't come for him again now that they were so much more. He refused to believe that John had been culled along with the men of the village and the rest of the soldiers and scientists on this mission.

The chamber was quite large and Rodney quickly computed the amount of air it might contain and tried to factor in the number of people using up the oxygen. He figured they had a day or two before asphyxiation became a real possibility.

As the hours passed by slowly, only the occasional shrill cry of a small child broke the low murmur of voices offering quiet reassurance.

Daniel nudged against his slowly recovering shoulder with his own. "So...you and Colonel Sheppard."

Rodney could hear the warmth in his tone yet he still felt a momentary impulse to deny that there was anything unprofessional between him and John. One look into Daniel's compassionate and nonjudgmental expression, barely discernible in the small glow of light, made him slump from the inside.

"It's...difficult." He waved a hand. "What with the military and the regulations and..."

"Yeah. I know," Daniel sighed back.

"You do?"

Daniel gave a sad smile. "Yeah. I do."

"You mean, you and General O'Neill?" Rodney waved a hand again before realizing he was making an obscene cock-jacking gesture; Daniel winced but made no denial. "Huh! I always thought he had a thing for Sam."

"It's more like Sam has a thing for him."

Rodney recognized mild but affectionate irritation in the tone and wondered if Sam had been a part of the problem Daniel and Jack had faced, or were still facing. He huffed because, by the time Sam came to Atlantis to take over Elizabeth's position, Rodney's own crush on Sam was a thing of the past, overshadowed by his growing feelings for another colonel, one who had proved far more attainable. Rodney hugged his arms around his cold body, wishing it was John's arms holding him and was startled when he felt strong masculine arms encircle him.

"Cold," Daniel stated softly in explanation, and they clung to each other as the batteries in the torch died and sleep claimed them both.

***

Rodney pried his eyes open as light and warmth struck at him after hours of cold and darkness. He was still wrapped in Daniel's arms but he felt the heat of another set of hands upon him and blinked rapidly, eyes watering, until a familiar and well loved face came into focus.

"John," he sighed and then coughed harshly, suddenly aware of the familiar walls of the hangar bay on the _Daedalus_ as the noise level increased from frightened children and awed women stirring awake in shock.

"Hey, buddy. We thought we'd lost you." The warmth of John's voice eased the coldness that had gripped at his soul since the beginning of the Wraith attack, and his separation from John. Beside him, he heard O'Neill talking softly to Daniel, calling him _Spacemonkey_.

Perhaps none of them could show their love openly in public displays of affection but all Rodney had to do was look into John's eyes and listen to the emotion in his voice to know that he was loved.

END


End file.
